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When I was a traditional painter I often thought there was a direct relationship between the tactile kinesthetic sense and emotion. That is, the bolder my brush stroke the greater the power and feeling. A gentle touch revealed a soft and gentle spirit. I learned there is not a direct correspondence. Emotion or spirit is not a physical weight or measure of touch. It is much more complex and mysterious. How does a writer, a composer or a dance choreographer create a work of art? One uses words to construct an idea or to express feelings. There is an abstract code for a musical score and a language to represent bodily gestures. Does the composer hear musical notes and instruments in their mind and record them onto paper? Does the dance choreographer see and feel virtual dancers moving through space?

I no longer use brushes, pencil or charcoal to create my images. Since I use a keyboard and mouse, does it follow I cannot make a meaningful artistic statement. I punch keys like a writer but my symbols are a mathematical-like code. Am I very limited as an artist because I must be logical and systematic? The computer language enables me to organize and structure the artistic content and meaning. I learned many years ago it takes time and experience before one becomes accustomed to a medium and tools. This is necessary before there can be any kind of flow or tempo to creative expression. But, where is the spontaneity in the context of computers? I do wonder
what we mean by spontaneity. Does the computer keyboard or mouse restrict my creativity because I cannot be direct? We can more easily understand the idea of the flow of words as the writer works through a keyboard. There can be an emotional surge as the writer strings words together. Then we have the composer and choreographer working with paper, pen and ink. Is spontaneity represented by the rapid recording of symbols onto paper? We know there is some kind of link between the painter’s emotions and the brush. However, creativity is much more complex than the outward appearances of the tactile and kinesthetic.

Now I am working with the computer as an artistic medium. I have become accustomed to a tempo or dynamic as I set mathematical values in parameter space. There is an intellectual rhythm. Lurking somewhere in the background is my knowledge and feel for the great art of the past. When I set mathematical values, my mind is sensing choices as patterns of color and light. I see the relationships between objects as transformations involving position, rotation and scale. At a higher level it is a flow of functions, procedures and algorithms. All of this now is translated into pixels or my brush marks. The spontaneity of expression is in my mind and not in my fingers. My esthetic sensibility becomes imbedded in the computer language. The computer responds to my excitement and feeling through my instructions. It gives me real-time
feedback as I see my image on the monitor. Outwardly, this has become my new canvas. I work back and forth altering the relationships between objects, colors and textures in a world space.

Chuck – I know about you through my mother, Judie Swedlow, who took your classes at Ohio State and a colleague/friend of mine, Dale Herigstad, wwho also took your classes back in the day. Both people speak about you with great respect. Dale has gone on to be one of the most important interface designers in the world and has started his own 3D graphic company for augmented TV called SeeSpace.co My mother lives in Columbus and raised 3 kids and did many other things to hlp the world. At one of my conferences called The TV of Tomorrow Show http://www.thetvoftomorrowshow.com, the two met and bonded because they both had had you as a teacher. Thought you might want to hear this! Thanks for doing such important work! If you want to come to our events, happy to give you a free ticket.

Charles,
My name is Amanda and I am your great niece. You do not know me, but I wanted to tell you that your work is simply amazing. I’ve been doing computer graphics and Web design since 2004 and it always sort of came natural to me. Seeing that you, someone from our family, has a nack for computer art and animation makes me feel like I get it from you. Either way, your work is amazing and I hope you continue with it. I’ve done a lot of research on you since I found out about you a few days ago and I’m honestly Wowed!